King of the Wastes
by Daenyathos
Summary: When the brilliant lady killer of Vault 101 is forced into the Capital Wasteland, what will he do with his newfound freedom? He's going fuck the brains out of every hot babe it has to offer. Duh. Harem/Smut/Sex
1. Escape!

A/N: Anyone reading this should be aware that this story features a near Mary Sue-like protagonist. So if you're looking for maximum realism, you won't find it here.

All characters are of legal age or older.

* * *

Alaric Kuril walked down the metal corridors of Vault 101, hands in the pockets of his jumpsuit and lazily strolling towards the classroom in which he would be taking the G.O.A.T. He almost snorted in derision; he knew what the test questions were, the answers and what he needed to choose in order to acquire whichever position he desired. It was child's play to sneak through the halls, lockpick Brotch's desk and memorize everything he had in there. Vault security was absolutely horrendous.

Alaric was quite popular, mainly due to his dashing good looks: long muscular legs supported a tight core with chiseled abs, leading to a broad chest that expanded and contracted with each breath. His powerful shoulders connected to a sleek neck and strong jawline, framing his thin lips that were more often than not, curled into a charming grin. His perfectly shaped nose rested under a pair of angular golden eyes, accentuated by his high cheekbones and jet black hair.

But unlike what most people assumed, the space between his ears was not empty. In fact, the gift of intelligence had been passed down from parent to child as Alaric was genius in every sense of the word, combining brains, brawn, and charisma into a man that was an irresistible ladykiller in every sense of the word. He had attracted the attention of most of the vault's female residents, much to the resentment of the males in his age group. Hell, even some of the older women were starting to eye him in what he suspected was more than just a platonic gaze.

"Get out of my way, you stupid Tunnel Snakes!"

He chuckled and turned the corner, finding Amata surrounded by Butch's little 'gang', making lewd comments in a pathetic attempt to intimidate her.

"Well, well, well." Kuril drawled, "What do we have here?"

The DeLoria glanced at him disinterestedly. "The hell do you want, wimp?" He responded, knowing full well that Alaric could beat him within an inch of his life if he wanted to. A courageous, but stupid attempt, at bravado.

He wasn't the least bit perturbed by the Tunnel Snake's insult, but his amber eyes took on a predatory gleam. "What's going on here?"

"None of your business, pal." Butch sneered, displaying a pitiful façade of false power. "You better get outta here before you get hurt." His lackeys, Wally Mack and Paul Hannon Jr. cracked their knuckles to back up their leader's words, though they looked apprehensive about going toe to toe with Kuril.

"Do you know how many bones there are in the adult body?" He asked, feigning playfulness. Before the Tunnel Snake could respond, his voiced dropped from coy to deadly in an instant. "Two hundred and six, and I know where all of them are. Which one would you like me to break first?" He flexed his muscles, making them ripple powerfully under his jumpsuit. He wouldn't even need to fight, he knew for a fact that Butch was a coward at heart, and all he needed to do to send him scampering off into a corner was to show him who was really in charge.

Hesitation and a hint of fear appeared in all their eyes, even Amata seemed slightly afraid of him.

The DeLoria's eyes darted around, desperately looking for an escape route. "Hmph, maybe you're right." He stood up, motioning for his henchmen to follow him. "C'mon Tunnel Snakes, this little bitch isn't worth our time." They slowly sauntered towards the classroom, only to jump when Alaric slammed his fist into the metal of the corridor. They hurried their pace, sending back one last indignant and fearful glance before they disappeared past the doorway.

He laughed and looked back to Amata who was breathing a sigh of relief, grateful that the ordeal was over. "Thanks for getting rid of them." She straightened out her vault suit and raised an eyebrow at him. "But a little dramatic, don't you think?"

"Meh." He shrugged his shoulders unapologetically. "It helps get the point across. Now let's get to class before we get an earful from Brotch."

She scoffed. "You being scolded by Brotch? Mr. 'never got anything less than an A and breezes through class' Kuril?"

"Jealous?" His lips quirked into a smug grin.

Amata simply laughed and playfully slapped his arm, briefly feeling the thick, corded muscle that lay underneath. She drew her hand back a moment later, but Alaric was perceptive enough to catch it. He would've teased her about it had they not been greeted by their teacher the second they entered the classroom.

"Well you made it. All set for the G.O.A.T.?" Both of them nodded. "Trust me, it really isn't that bad. Just something everybody has to go through." Amata quickly made her way to her seat, though Kuril remained behind to speak with Brotch.

"I don't really have to take this test do I?"

The teacher responded slowly, carefully choosing his words. "Listen, I like your dad. I might even like you if I wasn't your teacher." He looked around, ensuring that no one was paying attention to their now clandestine conversation. "So here's what I'm going to do. If you want to skip the test, just tell me how you want it to come out and I'll take care of it for you."

Alaric cracked a smile. "I'm sure as your best student, you could do it for me as a reward for my outstanding performance, right?"

"Yes, I can do it for you. I can even hold your hand if you'd like."

Kuril rolled his eyes as Brotch continued, "I just need to know what kinds of things you're interested in."

"Mr. B. If I told you what my 'interests' are, you'd have me locked up." Along with a lifetime supply of condoms and birth control pills…

"I may know more about your extracurricular activities than you think." He shot back dryly. "But not officially, of course. I'm completely oblivious." He brought up his pip-boy and tapped away for a second or so. "Done and… done. You're all set. If anyone asks, you took the G.O.A.T. after helping me out with the lesson plan yesterday, okay?"

The teen nodded. "Sure thing, Mr. B." As he exited the classroom, he caught Amata's eye and tossed back a victorious smirk at not having to sit through what was sure to be a mind-numbingly boring test that wouldn't even matter in the future. She only glared at him before she returned to work, resolutely ignoring him as she filled in her answers.

He wasn't sure what he was going to do with his free time, but making a booty call and fucking the brains out of Beatrice didn't sound so bad.

Alaric already knew the vault's layout by heart and moved through the hallways like a ghost, making no noise as he zeroed in on his Asian fuckbuddy's room.

It wasn't even difficult to get her addicted to his cock, the overseer's terminal only confirmed what he had theorized: she was an absent-minded, sexually repressed sycophant begging for a good hard dicking that would leave her bowlegged for a week. It had taken a few choice words and some ass grabbing before she invited him over to her quarters for some 'fortune telling' that quickly devolved into a bestial fuckfest which left her thoroughly exhausted, but satisfied.

And now, it was time for round two.

The door slid open with a hiss and the Armstrong glanced back to see who it was. Her face lit up as she caught sight of the lithe, muscular figure that strode towards her with half his jumpsuit off and the other half joining it on the floor. She felt heat pool between her legs as Alaric wrapped an arm around her waist and threw her onto the bed, removing her vault suit and pulling down her panties, exposing her bare, needy cunt that was absolutely soaked with her juices.

No words were exchanged as both of them shared a common goal, and that was to fuck the other as hard as possible.

With a swift thrust borne from hundreds of previous sexual conquests, he buried his fat cock into her quivering pussy, groaning as he felt her velvety walls tightening around him. She moaned at the feeling of divine fullness as her quim was filled with his shaft, feeling the bumps and veins teasing at her inner folds. Without further ado, he began to pound away, dragging his length back out before slamming back in, creating a steady rhythm as he sawed in an out of her hot, moist cunt.

He locked lips with her even as one hand rubbed at her clit and the other pinched her nipple, causing her to gasp and allowing him to slip his tongue into her mouth. Their makeout session was interrupted when her eyes widened in shock and her mouth hung open as a mind-shattering orgasm swept away all conscious thought. Alaric grit his teeth and with one last shove, his cockhead penetrated her womb, firing thick ropes of sticky, white seed into her core.

Beatrice's back arched and she clutched at the bedsheets, her pussy convulsed around his shaft, soaking both their thighs with her girlcum. Kuril paused to regain his breath, though he gave Beatrice no reprieve, and began thrusting in and out again, eliciting a moan from her that he quickly silenced with a kiss. He would've been worried about getting her pregnant, especially since he filled her slutty little womb to the brim with his virile seed, but he knew she was on contraceptives ever since they had their first tryst.

Alaric groaned as he relished the feeling of her slick, silky walls massaging his throbbing cock, his balls slapping against her netherlips and providing an extra jolt of pleasure that made her twitch each time he sheathed himself within her. Beatrice was busy moaning in time with his thrusts, tongue lolling out her mouth with a dopey fuck-drunk expression on her face as Kuril struck every erogenous nerve in her cunt, setting her mind alight with pleasure.

He bore his teeth in a feral grin as he pistoned his hips even harder into her battered cunt, he grabbed her hips and hilted himself within her, drawing circles in her pussy and causing her breath to hitch each time he pressed against her g-spot. He groped her sizeable breasts, kneading, pinching and twisting the pale flesh in a manner that left her wanting more. He felt her shiver beneath his touch and heard her panting like a bitch in heat, subconsciously wiggling her delicious rump in an instinctual need for cock.

Kuril was more than happy to grant it and plowed into her tight, wet snatch with the force of a hurricane, his hips a blur as he edged himself towards giving her womb another white paintjob. He sheathed himself in her pussy once more, his shaft pulsed as it sprayed jet after jet of hot, creamy cum directly into her uterus. Beatrice went ridged for a moment before exploding into an orgasm, her cunt spasmed around his shaft, milking his balls dry.

Her eyes rolled into the back of her head, the effort of keeping up with Alaric had proven too much, even for the sex hungry fortune teller, and she passed out. The aforementioned vault dweller, however, had nearly unbound stamina and he could feel himself becoming hard again. Even though she was down for the count, he was just getting started.

Yes, he had an obedient little cumdump that he could freely use whenever he wanted, and the rest of 101's women in the palm of his hand.

Life was good.

…

 _Fucking hell. Life sucked ass._ Were his thoughts after he heard Amata describe how the vault had gone to hell and slapped a pistol in his hands before leaving him behind, intent on helping him escape.

His gaze sharpened, all pretense of jovial indifference fell away in an instant as he swept his eyes across his room, compiling a list of what he would take with him. The Overseer's office was insultingly easy to get into, and the scouting reports, along with the security dossiers Alphonse had archived onto his terminal, had proven very helpful in several aspects.

He emptied the first aid kit attached to his wall into a backpack he had made years ago, grabbed his baseball bat, BB gun and pellets along with the combat knife he had hidden under his mattress. He had found it while exploring the vault and no one seemed to be aware of its existence, other than him. He had always been cautious, and some would have called him paranoid, but he knew the value of being well prepared and now, it would pay off.

Alaric shouldered the bat with one hand and kept a firm grip on the knife with the other. From the message blaring over the intercom, a radroach infestation had sprung up and he would need to drive them off in addition to the vault's security guards.

The door opened with a quiet hiss and he was met with a group of the infernal insects. He dispatched with a few swings of his trusty baseball bat, leaving them behind as chunks of viscera and smears of fluid on the metal floor.

"Hey you, hold it right there!"

His golden eyes snapped to the man in security armor, holding a police baton, glaring at him.

 _John Kendall. Height: five feet, ten inches. Plexiglass combat helmet, stab-proof Kevlar vest. Metal-plastic composite club._

He brought the knife up, holding it tip first.

 _Distance: six point three seven meters. Three rotations. Speed: ten point five feet per second. Target area: throat._

Kuril flicked his wrist, sending the combat knife flying end over end until it buried itself into Kendall's adam's apple. The man clutched at his neck and the visor of his helmet became flecked with blood as he coughed in a futile attempt to clear his airways. He calmly walked over to the dying officer and tore the combat knife out, cleaning the blade off on guard's jumpsuit and leaving him drown in his own blood.

His eyes had always been unnaturally sharp, perhaps due to a mutation in his genes, but he was nonetheless grateful for his superior vision. His years spent as the vault's little league MVP, both hitting and throwing with unerring accuracy, had sharpened his aim until it had become flawless. Furthermore, in an attempt to alleviate the mindnumbing dullness of having nothing interesting to do, he'd used his understanding of kinesiology to create a routine that would work every muscle group in a variety of ways. His limbs and torso were hard as iron after all the conditioning he had forced himself to go through, in addition to the martial arts he had learned from an old, forgotten manual lying at the bottom of a storage crate tucked away in the sub-basement. It was a way to stave off the ever encroaching threat of boredom and a useful skill as well, especially during that time Butch and his gang decided they needed to show him who was toughest guy in the vault.

The clinic was rather busy that day, when the sorry trio limped in bearing a number of fractured bones, twisted joints and nasty bruises.

Once he was sure that Kendall was dead, he stripped him of his armor and weapon, donning the Kevlar vest and holstering the baton in his belt. He swiftly strode down the hallway, and caught sight of the aforementioned leader of the Tunnel Snakes running towards him. "You gotta help me! My mom's trapped in there with the radroaches!"

Oh how he would've liked to put a bullet right between the little fucker's eyes, but he couldn't waste precious ammo on some blubbering brat.

"Butch... asking me for help." He rolled his eyes. "If only you knew what 'irony' meant..."

The DeLoria scowled. "Yeah, I'm asking you. So what?" He paused, realizing that he wasn't really endearing himself to the person he wanted to go save his mother and tried to recover from his fumble. "Look, I'm sorry for the way I've always treated you. You know I never meant any of it, right? But it's my mom. You can't leave her in there with the Radroaches."

Alaric sighed. "Why do you need my help, anyway? Afraid of a few Radroaches?"

Butch shifted nervously, unable to meet Kuril's inquisitive gaze. "Well... yeah. I hate Radroaches." His blue eyes snapped up to defiantly meet his fellow vault dweller's amber ones in some desperate attempt to rally what remained of his masculinity, though the effect was ruined somewhat when he sniffled pathetically. "So what? I tried to go back in to help her, I swear I did! But I just can't do it!"

Kuril had to fight back a grin. Good lord, this was comedy gold. "Butch." He placed his hand on the DeLoria's shoulder reassuringly. "You're a Tunnel Snake! Don't you know that snakes eat radroaches?"

"Really? Mr. Brotch never told us that…"

"Yeah! It said so in the Big Book of Science!" A blatant lie, but Butch didn't know that. "You're big. They're little. Get back in there and show'em who's boss!"

The DeLoria hesitated, then nodded, determination burning bright in his eyes. "I… I'll try! Here, I know it isn't much, but take my Tunnel Snakes jacket." He slipped it off and shoved it in Alaric's hands. Butch squared his shoulders and ran back the direction he came. "Here I come you stupid bugs!"

 _What a dipshit._ Alaric snickered. His mom was a decent fuck, but she was nothing special. No great loss if Butch bailed the rescue at the last moment. He draped the leather jacket over his Kevlar vest. Having extra clothes on hand would certainly help.

He ascended the stairs and came upon Gomez and Andy battling a group of radroaches. The security officer spared him a glance but returned his attention to the mutated insects biting at his heels. Kuril assisted them, stomping and smashing them until none of the massive bugs remained. The security officer clipped the baton to his waist and turned to Alaric.

"You're lucky it was me who found you. The others won't be so forgiving."

He wanted to scoff, but kept silent and nodded.

"I don't know what you're up to and I don't want to know. Just- Just clear out of here and I'll pretend I never saw you."

"Thanks, Officer Gomez." Kuril grinned. "I knew I liked you for a reason."

The man only shook his head. "It's a real shame it's come to this. I can't believe what they did to Jonas…" He rubbed his eyes, as if trying to erase the gruesome scene from his memory. "Officer Mack was just out of control…" He sighed and patted Alaric on the back. "But you're a good kid. You didn't do anything to deserve this. Go find your dad, if you can."

The teen nodded, shaking hands with the guard. "I'll do my best, thanks Mr. Gomez."

He departed and entered the clinic, looking around at the scattered papers and upended machinery. He moved past all of it and came to a stop in his father's office. Kuril looted the first aid kit and quirked an eyebrow at the medical bobblehead on the table. He shrugged and decided to take it along with him as memento, but his attention was quickly drawn to the quote that hung on the wall.

His golden eyes seemed to zoom in on the frame, noticing small discrepancies and subtle hints that pointed at the words hiding more than just the wall behind it. He grasped it and moved it aside, revealing a small safe embedded into the metal.

 _Hmph. Clever bastard. Now I know where I got it from._

He went to work cracking it, whatever was inside must've been important if he was willing to go to such lengths to hide and secure it. A few minutes later, the safe swung open, revealing a blueprint, a bag of bottlecaps and a holodisk. He tossed all of it inside his backpack; while he wanted see what was on the tape and the blueprint, his priority at the moment was to escape. Hopefully, he would have time to analyze whatever he found once he left the vault.

Alaric looked around to ensure he hadn't missed anything important, and to reminisce about that day he had gone through a check-up before the G.O.A.T.

 _What I wouldn't give to go back to those days…_

He shook his head and made his to the atrium, right now was no time for distractions. He heard voices and quickly crouched down next to the doorway, hidden by the shadows as he listened to the conversation.

"…getting out of here just like the doctor. I'm not going to let anyone stop us. We're getting out of here. Now's our chance!" He recognized Tom Holden's voice, then heard rapid footsteps as the man began to run.

He heard Mary hesitate but she joined her husband a moment later. He couldn't stop them, but their foolish efforts would help him escape, if nothing else. He'd already counted the interval from when Tom started running to when his body hit the floor and repeated the process with his wife.

Five seconds passed. Twelve shots fired.

 _Twelve shots?_ He snorted. _These guys can't aim for shit…_

He got into position as the last Holden was gunned down and emerged from the left side of the corridor just as the security guards were reloading, having expended the rounds in their clips on the two harmless civilians making a desperate bid for freedom.

 _Officer O'Brian. Height: five foot ten. Plexiglass combat helmet. Stab-proof Kevlar vest. N99 10mm pistol. Reload complete in five point four seconds._

 _Officer Richards. Height: five foot eight. Plexiglass combat helmet. Stab-proof Kevlar vest. N99 10mm pistol. Reload complete in four point nine seconds._

 _Distance: ten point three four meters. Muzzle velocity: twelve hundred meters per second. Target area: throat._

 _Fire._

His own pistol barked twice and a neat hole appeared in each of the security guards' necks. They dropped like stones, clutching at their throats just like the first man he killed. Almost nostalgic really.

By the time he knelt down to take whatever he could from them, their eyes had gone blank and their hearts had stopped beating. He looked at them with contempt: both Richards and O'Brian were mindless dogs that hung off of the Overseer's every word. He'd probably done the vault a service by ending their miserable lives.

He took their pistols and whatever ammunition they had on them before he climbed the stairs to the second floor. Alaric passed by one of the windows and saw Allen Mack pounding on it, his face twisted into a rictus of fury as he slammed his fists into the glass, shouting unintelligible phrases that he had no doubt were insults. With a cheeky grin he flipped him off and proceeded past him, leaving the enraged man behind in the common room.

He swatted away the radroaches with his bat and heard someone approaching.

"Stop in the name of the Overseer!"

Kuril sighed. _Another one of Alphonse's rabid attack mutts. Oh well, more equipment for me._

He went through his analyzations and sent his combat knife hurtling into the senior Hannon's throat. He didn't bother waiting until the Security Chief was dead before tearing his knife out and sending a splatter of blood across the floor. He could see the man's eyes quivering as he clung to the list vestiges of consciousness, his body convulsing and twitching as anything lower than his shoulders no longer received orders from the brain.

Alaric gave him a disinterested glance and walked past his latest kill, idly contemplating why he felt no guilt.

 _Hm, perhaps I'm a psychopath? Sociopath maybe… or it could just be natural killer instinct._

He halted his introspection as he heard a very familiar voice, tainted with anxiety and fright.

"I don't know anything!"

He breathed in sharply.

 _Amata._

She was one of the few people he actually cared about in the vault and he would be damned if he allowed any harm to come to her while he was still drawing breath.

"Be reasonable, Amata." Her father began, "Officer Mack may enjoy this, but I don't. Just tell us where to find your friend, so we can talk to him."

'And kill him' went unsaid.

"He's my friend! I was worried about him. What does he have to do with any of this anyway?" She tried to reason with him, but Alaric knew it was a futile effort.

He could hear the elder Almodovar sigh in disappointment. "I thought I raised you better than that, Amata." His tone laced with contempt. "Survival is paramount. James didn't understand that. He was always too idealistic and now, look at what he's done! He tried to destroy this vault!"

Mack spoke up, "With all due respect, this is a waste of time, sir. Give me five minutes alone and I'll get the location of the kid."

"No need Stevie boy!"

He tried to turn around, only for his head to snap back as a combat knife was lodged into it. The idiot had decided not to wear a helmet, so it was a nice change of targets from the usual throat stabbing. Amata, shocked by the sudden bloodshed, shrieked and ran past Kuril out the doorway.

He glanced at her retreating form to ensure she had made it away before turning his attention to the Overseer. The man's eyes darted between Kuril and the knife buried in his fellow interrogators skull, debating whether to make a run for it to arm himself with the blade.

The telltale click of a pistol being cocked drew his gaze back to Kuril, who bore a cheerful grin as if he had just finished reading Grognak the Barbarian.

It was unnerving to say the least.

Alphonse held up his hands and stepped back as the teen walked towards him. "Now, Alaric." His voice steady and low. "Don't do anything hasty…"

His grin switched from jovial to bloodthirsty with a twitch of his lips and his amber eyes blazed with cold fury. "Perhaps you should've told that to Officer Mack when he beat Jonas to death, hmmm?" He took another step closer. "Perhaps you should've told that to Richards and O'Brian when they gunned down the Holdens without a second thought." He tore the knife from Steve's skull with a sickening squelch. "Perhaps you should've told that to Kendall when he tried to stop me…"

"But as a gesture of good faith, I'll give you this." He pulled the pistol's hammer back. "If you let anyone hurt Amata, yourself included, I will make your death very slow, and very, very painful. Do you understand me?"

The Overseer sighed. "I appreciate your concern Alaric, but rest assured-" He was interrupted as Kuril slammed the butt of the 10mm into his temple, hard enough to knock him out and leave nasty welt, but not hard enough to kill him with blunt force trauma and internal bleeding. Not that he didn't want to of course, but he felt like he owed it to Amata not to murder her father.

He rifled through Alphonse's pockets, but only found the password to his personal terminal, which Alaric had discovered years ago. Once he had ransacked the security office and made off with another pistol and a decent amount of ammunition, he entered the Almodovar quarters after quietly closing Jonas' eyes and taking the note his father had left for him.

Kuril easily lock picked the door to the Overseer's office and spotted a duo of lockers on the opposite wall. He rummaged through them and came up with more 10mm rounds, some mentats and a few stimpaks, all of which he threw into his backpack. He typed in the password to gain access to the terminal and quickly downloaded all the files to his pip-boy before opening the tunnel.

He waited impatiently for the annoyingly slow desk to rise enough to let him through; being tall had its disadvantages, contrary to popular belief.

Within minutes he arrived at the main door and pulled the lever, irritated by the blaring alarms and groaning screech as the gate was dragged back and moved aside. Even through the cacophony, he could hear footsteps coming towards him through the door. He whipped out his pistol and aimed it at where the person's head would likely be after it opened.

Alaric's amber eyes softened and he lowered his weapon as Amata appeared in the door way, whispering in awe as she watched the gigantic vault door being moved aside. "Oh my god… You actually opened it."

Her own eyes widened as she realized Kuril was stand in front of her. "I didn't think I would make it- my father, he- Officer Mack I- I didn't tell them anything, I swear-" He cut in by wrapping his arms around her back and pressing her to his chest in a stifling hug.

"I know. I know." He rubbed the back of her head. "It's alright. I know you wouldn't betray me like that." He hummed soothingly, drowning out the ambient noise with the deep bass emanating from his powerful chest. "You know… you could come with me. It's not safe for you to stay anymore." She pulled back, looking up at him in shock. "What do you say?" The ever-present mischievous twinkle in his eyes shone brightly.

"I… I can't." Her voice wavered and she shook her head. "Someone needs to keep my dad in check and I'm the only one who can do it." Kuril nodded, expecting nothing less from his one and only friend. "Go on, go find your dad. If anyone can survive out there, it's you."

Alaric could hear two pairs of footsteps heading towards them and he quickly kissed her forehead before pulling away. He crossed the threshold between the vault and the cave just as Officers Wolfe and Park burst through the door, batons at the ready. They instantly spotted him lazily strolling away from the entrance, hands in the pockets of his jumpsuit, looking as if he hadn't a care in the world.

He tossed back one last insufferable smirk at Amata, his golden eyes shining almost unnaturally bright in the darkness of the cave and dancing with amusement. He winked at her, conveying a thousand unspoken words in a single gesture, just before the gate rolled shut and he could see them no more.

Kuril looked forward, taking a deep breath and setting his hand on the wooden door that would lead him into the unknown. A confident grin crept its way onto his face and he opened the door with one thought running through his mind.

 _Time to show them who's King of the Wastes._

* * *

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	2. A Warm Welcome

"…and that's why I'm here." Alaric finished, his deceptively warm amber orbs taking in the faces before him as he set down the now empty bottle of nuka-cola.

"Well, well, well." Moriarty drawled. "Looks like the little baby cherub is all grown up now." He shook his head. "If you want info on daddy dearest you'd better be ready to pay up, otherwise talk to Nova, or Gob if you want anything. I need a drink." The ghoul wordlessly slid him a bottle of beer and he disappeared out the door.

Kuril's gaze settled onto the aforementioned courtesan and motioned for her to sit next to him. He had already figured how to pry a few secrets from those pretty little lips of hers; now all it would take was a bit of charm.

She crossed her legs in a way that emphasized their shapeliness and leaned forward, elbows resting on the counter to give her cleavage center stage in her blatant attempt at seduction.

"Well hello there Mister Dangerous. What can I do for you?" A sensual smirk worked its way onto her face and her eyes went half-lidded. "A room and some company is usually a hundred and twenty caps." Alaric raised an eyebrow at this: even if he had left the vault not two hours ago, he could still tell that that was an outrageous price.

Seeing his expression, the redhead giggled. "But for someone like you…" Her eyes swept across his muscular form. "Well, I want to give it to you for free, but Colin would bust my ass for that. So how about half off?"

"Such a tempting offer." He chuckled, a low, rich rumble that emanated from his chest. "But, no deal." He leaned forward, a sly smirk upon his lips. "Perhaps a little something extra could convince me..."

Mesmerized by his warm honey eyes and roguish grin, Nova bit her lip and seemed to internally debate something before sighing. "Alright, what do you want?"

"Information about my father."

She paused again, then spoke. "Get into the back office of this place. Moriarty keeps a terminal there. Everything you want is inside the terminal." She passed him a worn square of paper. "Here's the password."

"Thanks." He grinned. "I'll be sure to call you up later."

She smiled back. "I look forward to it."

She left him to his devices and he waited until no one that was willing to incriminate him was looking and slipped into the backroom. He made quick work of the terminal, committing every important detail to memory before downloading the files onto his pipboy and leaving Moriarty none the wiser.

As soon as he exited the saloon, he could tell someone had followed him out. The clack of dress shoes and the flash of a custom-tailored white suit in the corner of his eye all but gave away who was behind him.

"Hello, Mr. Kuril."

He turned around, his face a perfect mask of indifference. "Mr. Burke, what brings you out here to a backwater town like this?"

The agent nodded towards the undetonated nuke in the center of town. "The bomb of course." He answered. "Imagine what it would be like if it went off."

"Horrifying, I'm sure. I'm glad it's just a dud." His amber eyes flickered imperceptibly to Burke's face, surveying his visage for the telltale signs of deception.

A shake of his head was his response. "Not a dud, but a proverbial volcano. One that just needs the correct stimulus to set it off."

His features remained blank as the man only confirmed what he had suspected; a live weapon of mass destruction of the Pre-War, unbidden and barely supervised, ripe for the taking.

"I represent certain... interests. And those interests view this settlement, this 'Megaton,' as a blight on a burgeoning urban landscape." Burke sneered as he watched the town's populace go about their lives. "This place is obsolete. The last vestige of a cobbled, desperate past. It needs to... go away. And you are going to see that it does."

"Interesting." He allowed a smile to grace his lips. "And what do I get out of it?"

"Why, you'd be rewarded most handsomely! My employer is a very generous man. If it's bottle caps and luxury you're seeking. You shall have it!" The man proclaimed.

"A very tempting offer. But I already told Simms I'd disarm it." A lie. "Maybe some extra caps could change my mind…"

"Indeed. A man's word is worth his weight in caps. I suppose I could arrange for a bonus of say, 500 caps in addition to the base fee. Bringing the total to a thousand."

"Then I believe we have a deal."

A small flat device was given to him and they shook hands, a satisfied smirk on Burke's face.

"Attach it to the bomb. When it's done, meet me at Tenpenny Tower. It's southwest of here, well out of harm's way. You can't miss it. Any questions?"

Alaric shook his head. "None. I'll finish this as soon as possible." He tucked the object away in his backpack. "A pleasure working with you, Mr. Burke."

"And you, Mr. Kuril." They quickly parted ways, not wanting to draw any attention to their covert operations.

Once he was certain the agent had left, his lips quirked into an amused grin. Like hell he was going to blow up Megaton, there were way too many women he hadn't fucked yet; but that didn't mean he couldn't still weasel the caps out of Burke, he just needed to uncover how.

He tucked away the fusion pulse charge into his backpack. Rummaging around, he sorted out whatever he felt was unnecessary and separated them from the rest of his supplies. His footsteps were silent – a habit he gained from constantly sneaking around the vault – as he moved across the metal platforms to reach his destination.

The door opened with a quiet creak and he stepped inside the store. He surveyed the interior with the blink of an eye, registering the doorway on the left leading to the second floor, the sunlight streaming down from the holes in the roof, the workbench, an operational terminal, the three filing cabinets on the far side of the room, the mercenary dressed in leather armor wielding an R91 assault rifle leaning against the wall. And most importantly of all, the busty redhead in a tight jumpsuit behind the counter.

"Hi there! I'm Moira, it's a pleasure to meet you! I run Craterside Supply." She gestured enthusiastically at the shabby, but adequate store around her. "If there's anything you need, anything at all, I probably got it layin' around in here somewhere. Don't be afraid to ask!" She paused, peering at him with inquisitive eyes, then snapped her fingers a moment later. "Hey! You're that new vaultie that everyone's talking about!"

He gave her small smile. "Alaric Kuril. Pleased to meet you."

Her eyes lit up in excitement and he had a moment of warning before he was assaulted with a barrage of questions.

"What's it like in the vault? What kind of technology do you guys have? Electron microscopes? Hydroponic facilities? DNA sequencers? Neuroimaging suites? Ah, but you need electricity to power all of that." From the pockets of her clothing she produced a worn notebook and pencil. "So do you guys use a nuclear reactor? Geothermal? Fusion? What about water? Where do you-" She was halted mid-sentence and looked up when Alaric waved a hand in front of her face, drawing her attention away from what she was writing in her journal.

"One question at a time." He chuckled, causing Moira to blush as she realized she had bombarded him with her inquiries in the twenty six seconds they had met. "You'll have plenty of time to ask me all about the vault later." He rested his backpack on the counter. "But first, could I see what you have for sale?"

The shopkeeper smiled brightly. "Of course!"

...

Kuril left Craterside Supply with a substantial number of caps in addition to the amount he had found in his father's safe. If his calculations were correct, he would be able to afford any necessary supplies along with a few luxuries for the next few weeks without worry. Moira had gotten him to promise that he would come by to sate her curiosity about the vault, but in return, he had persuaded her to give him a discount on all her wares in exchange for the knowledge.

The sun was hanging low in the sky like a carrot being dangled from the fishing rod of destiny and he decided to visit Moriarty's Saloon before he went to sleep.

Entering the establishment, he found it was devoid of customers save for a single blonde sitting in the corner of the room. His eyes narrowed ever so slightly and time seemed to slow as he analyzed and interpreted her body language.

 _Extremities paled. Dilated pupils. Downcast eyes. Elevated heartrate. Hands locked. Muscles tense._

 _Anxious._

He blinked and was brought out of her reverie at the same time the woman's gaze snapped to him before lowering back down to her clenched hands. With a plan in mind, he made his way over to the bar and sat down on a stool.

"Hey, Gob." He waved. "Mind if I buy a drink?"

The bartender set down the cup he was cleaning. "'Course not, smoothskin. But…" The ghoul wrung his hands nervously. "You're not going to hit me? Yell at me? Not even berate me a little bit?"

Alaric raised an eyebrow. "I hadn't planned on it."

"Well now. That's a surprise! I'm used to every asshole smoothskin in this town giving me shit just because I look like a corpse. I'm glad to see that there are a few worthwhile people around here." The rotting grin on Gob's face was nothing short of blinding. "Listen..." He lowered his voice, whispering. "Moriarty'd have my head if he caught me selling at a discount, but for you, I'll risk it."

"Thanks, Gob." He smiled. "Let's have a drink to celebrate eh? My treat."

The bartender took out two – surprisingly clean – shot glasses and poured a generous amount of alcohol in each. With a clink of the glass and a shared "Cheers!" the cups were drained, leaving them empty once more. He motioned to Gob for another before excusing himself.

The blonde looked up in surprise when a proffered glass of whiskey was held in front of her. He could hear her breath hitched as her gaze met his, and he could guess with a fair amount of accuracy what was running though her head. He allowed her to stare for a moment more before he smirked. "Like something you see?"

Her cheeks flamed and she stuttered, "N-No! I mean-Yes-wait! I-n-not like that!" He handed her the drink and she snatched it up, downing the contents with nary a second thought. The woman winced as the alcohol burned a trail down her throat, but relaxed as warmth bloomed in her stomach, and some of the tension in her frame disappeared.

"Th-thanks." She sunk back into her chair. "I needed that." Her eyes swiveled back up to his face again. "I don't recognize you. New in town or something?"

Alaric sat down in the seat opposite hers, gracefully crossing one leg over the other and gestured to the pip-boy at his wrist. "Yes, I only left my vault a few hours ago in fact."

"I could tell. You-" Her eyes only roamed over his body for an instant, but Kuril nonetheless caught it. "You look different from most wastelanders I've seen."

"Oh?" He replied, grinning playfully. "Is that a bad thing?" He flexed his arms, causing the blue of his jumpsuit to ripple as the powerful, but sleek muscles underneath tightened.

She flushed, attempting to tear her eyes away from the sight before her, yet found that she couldn't. Heat pooled between her legs and she unconsciously ground her thighs together in an attempt to suppress her growing arousal. Her merc cruiser outfit suddenly felt too hot and the cool air of the saloon became stifling. She was brought out of her stupor by the quiet chuckle coming from the mysterious, and incredibly handsome, stranger across from her.

"I'll take that as a no." His eyes twinkled with amusement as he continued. "But I'm heading out tomorrow to take care of a few things. Anything I can do for you?"

The blonde shook herself to dispel the lewd thoughts that had sprung up in her mind, though it did nothing for the wetness between her thighs. "I- yes. I'm looking for someone to make a delivery. Interested?"

He shrugged. "I'm sure I can make a detour. Where to?"

"I'd like you to deliver this message to my family in the Arefu Settlement. I haven't heard from them in months and I'm worried." She handed him a small piece of paper.

He examined it, taking note of the name Lucy West written in smooth, curving letters at the bottom, but didn't reach out to take it. "A job usually means I get paid."

"Actually, I don't have any caps with me." She looked away, embarrassed. "I used everything I had buying a shack in this town." The blonde nervously twiddled her thumbs. "But if you'd be nice enough to help me, I bet my father would pay you something for the trip. What do you say?"

"Very well." He tucked away the paper into his jumpsuit. "I accept."

Lucy's eyes lit up. "Great! I'll-" She halted mid-speech when Kuril silenced her by placing a finger on her lips.

"But." He continued slyly. "I think I'll claim my reward in… a different manner."

It took her a moment to process the underlying message, but when she did, her eyes widened and an involuntary shiver worked its way down her spine. "I-I see. And in what form would you like your payment?"

He smiled, "That's for me to know, and you to find out." He removed the digit and grinned at how she mewled quietly from the loss of his touch. He could see Nova shooting her a jealous glare from the corner of his eye and suppressed a laugh at how easily both of them were seduced.

He stood up. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get some sleep." He took out a small pouch that held sixty caps and handed it to the courtesan who gave him a key in return.

He winked at her, catching the coy grin she shot back at him as he ascended the stairs.

He made it to the room and softly shut the door behind him. He slipped off his backpack as he quickly surveyed the room. He set his sack down by the bed and withdrew the combat knife and 10mm pistol from the hidden pockets he had sewn into his clothing, concealing both of them out of sight beneath the bed. He sat down on the squeaky mattress to await the arrival of the redheaded courtesan.

She slipped into the room a few minutes later, gently closing the door behind her and turning to face the grinning the vault dweller. She wordlessly approached him, swing her wide, breeder's hips and slowly unbuttoning her top. He responded in kind, unzipping his jumpsuit and stepping out of both it and his undergarments. She paused to step out of her skirt and shoes before putting her hands on his chest and pushing him towards the bed.

His back hit the mattress and he felt Nova straddling his waist, hands running over his sculpted pectorals and heading of his crotch while she purred in satisfaction. "Mmmmf, fuck you're hot… this might be the one time I actually want to do my job."

Her eyes widened and her respiration temporarily failed her when she registered the size of the cock she held, stroking it to ensure neither its girth nor length were the products of a tactile illusion and found that her fingers could barely wrap around it. "Holy shit!" She gasped, her arousal heightening at this new revelation. "You're fucking huge!"

After a few more seconds of spirited interaction, the redhead's hands reluctantly released his shaft, sensually unbuttoning the top of her merc charmer outfit and shrugging it off inch by inch, revealing the tanned, supple breasts that adorned her chest. She threw it, and the bra she wore, aside and began working on her pants. The moment they left her body Kuril pulled her panties to the side and buried himself to the hilt in her soaked snatch.

Nova uttered a choked cry and her eyes rolled into the back of her head as he stretched her walls to the limit. He only gave her a moment to adjust to the feeling before he began to pound away. She whimpered and moaned, feeling every vein, ridge and curve of his cock as he slid in and out of her hot, clenching tunnel. She managed to regain some semblance of control a moment later and a sultry smirk worked its way onto her lips as she began to slam her hips down in time with his thrusts.

His composure cracked when the redhead's pussy began to contract and ripple around his length, massaging his shaft with the silky walls of her cunt. He hissed in pleasure and his hands tightened their grip on her curvaceous hips, driving her even harder onto his cock as his fingers sunk into her soft assflesh.

"Wh-ah! Whatsa matter pretty boy?" She taunted, biting her lower lip in a futile attempt to stifle her moans. "The girls in the-mmmmff!-vault don't know how to-nnnngghh!-do this?" Nova rolled her hips, drawing circles inside herself with his shaft,

She wasn't nearly as tight as even the loosest vault pussy, but her sheer skill more than made up for it, and he found himself gritting his teeth to stave off an ever-encroaching orgasm in the first few minutes of their rutting. Just as he approached the precarious edge of climax, he closed his eyes, breathing deeply and focusing himself; it was time to show her who was really in charge.

The redhead noticed his apparent difficulty in keeping up with her and continued in her teasing. "Giving up a-already? I'm disappoint-AH!" She squeaked in delight when Alaric bucked his hips, briefly throwing her into the air with the power of his thrust. Regrettably letting go of her perfect ass, his hands fastened themselves around her waist and his legs tensed. With a powerful twist of his body, he switched places with her, cushioning her fall with his own arms. Now, Nova was the one beneath him with her arms pinned to the headboards by one hand while his other toyed with her clit.

The unexpected reversal combined with the sharp increase in pleasure sent her cumming like no tomorrow. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head, back arching and pussy gushing as her orgasm tore through both her body and mind like a thermonuclear warhead. A scream bubbled up in her throat and Kuril quickly silenced it with a kiss before it could alert anyone to their spirited rutting. She returned it eagerly, even as she fought a losing battle against his tongue, moaning into his mouth the whole way through.

Her velvety pink folds wrapped around his cock and made lewd, wet schlicks as he filled her stretched tunnel again and again. He rubbed at her clit in tandem with his thrusts, causing her pussy muscles to go wild and lose their controlled contractions, giving him some measure of reprieve from her sensual massage.

But the way her slick cunt pulsated and convulsed around his fat cock proved too much for Kuril and with one last mighty thrust, he hilted himself inside her, the head of his shaft pressing against the entrance to her womb as he pumped rope after rope of thick, white spunk directly into her uterus. The redhead's ankles locked together to dissuade him from pulling out – not that he wanted to – as her pussy tightened around him, instinctively knowing that it needed to milk his balls dry of their sperm.

Finally, when his flood of cum subsided, leaving her with a womb full of semen, he pulled out and fell onto the unoccupied side of the bed, breaking their kiss to allow both of them air. Nova panted and gasped, legs twitching as pleasant aftershocks continued to ravage her nerves. Alaric was far more composed, only breathing steadily through his nose, though his body was covered in a thin sheen of sweat.

They shared in the warm afterglow of sex for several minutes before Kuril spoke.

"I'm not too bad hmm?"

The redhead giggled and snuggled up next to him, purring contentedly as she ran her hands over his muscles. "Are you kidding me? That was the best fuck I've ever had. You're welcome back anytime pretty boy."

"Is that so?" He hooked an arm around her waist and pulled her closer. "Then how would you like to be my personal cumdump whenever I'm in town?"

She was acutely aware of the seed oozing from her abused slit and the tight, sore pleasurable feeling emanating from her core where he had unloaded himself. She wanted to say yes, but her sense self-preservation ultimately won over her lustful desires. "God, I want to. But Moriarty would kill me."

Alaric chuckled and ran his hands comfortingly along her side. "Oh he'll be gone soon enough…"

Before she could question his mysterious response, he pushed her onto all fours and kneeled behind her. She felt something hot, fleshy and turgid poking at her increasingly wet lips and a shiver of excitement raced up her spine. She bit her lip, unable to stop herself from wiggling her hips and shaking her ass in preparation of what was to come.

He had made a quick calculation and concluded that the contraceptive he had taken a week ago would last for a few more hours. Perhaps he would be able to fashion something similar with the supplies in the wasteland.

But for now, he was going to make the most of the time he had left before his sperm regained its virility and stuff her womb with his spunk until her ovaries were filled to the brim with his semen.


	3. One Big Family

After leaving a brief note stating his departure and his expected return time along with the rest of Nova's payment, he slipped out of the room and silently descended the stairs. The bar and lounge were devoid of inhabitants in the early hours of the morning, allowing him to exit the saloon with none the wiser. Quietly moving through the sleepy town of Megaton, he slipped out the gates, giving a quick nod to Deputy Weld as it blurted out a greeting.

He followed the coordinates Burke had given him using his pip-boy and spotted Tenpenny Tower long before he arrived. Approaching the gate, he witnessed a rather amusing argument between a tough-looking ghoul and an intercom. Once the altercation had finished and with an overt mention of Burke, the gates slid open.

He entered the main building and scanned the luxurious interior, taking note of the furniture, light sources and people. He could almost feel the scrutinizing gaze upon him from the man sitting behind the counter and decided to deal with him first in case a problem arose from his negligence.

Despite the gruff greeting that he received, he soon discovered that the man, Chief Gustavo, was in need of assistance, which Kuril suspected involved the ghoul he encountered at the main gate.

He managed to weasel several key pieces of information, a Chinese assault rifle and several clips of ammunition from the security chief, along with a reward of 700 caps in exchange for neutralizing the threat. Though he had been instructed to meet with Burke at the earliest opportune moment, he decided the man could wait. He brought up his pip-boy, entering the coordinates of the location specified and set out for his destination, mind abuzz with his plan slowly unfolding.

Journeying to the Warrington Trainyard was thankfully uneventful, though once he entered its tunnels, it was a completely different story. The narrow corridors and dim lighting made traversing the station a risky prospect; combined with the hordes of feral ghouls within, few were willing to enter the trainyard's depths.

Alaric examined the remaining ammunition he had left, pleased to see he had only expended two clips in killing the ferals that attacked him as he made his way through the metro. The combat armor he had purchased from Moira was still untouched since his prowess in sneaking was enough to get close enough to the ghouls without them noticing his presence before they were gunned down.

He managed to talk his way past a grumpy pistol-wielding ghoul guarding the entrance and he quickly moved through the hallways until he came upon his target.

"Roy Phillips?"

The Ghoul turned around, tensing as he spotted the Chinese assault rifle. "Yeah? What do you want?"

"Gustavo sent me to kill you." He stated bluntly.

He could sense the female Ghoul behind him and heard the click of a switchblade being unsheathed. "Is that so?" Phillips narrowed his eyes. "He isn't man enough to do it himself? Sends a boy to do his dirty work. You think you got what it takes?"

He slung the gun across his back and held his hands up. "Relax. It's just a warning, not a threat. I'm not here to kill you."

"I see… that's smart of you. I'd lay you flat if you tried anything stupid. So don't." He grunted. "Tenpenny and his pack of elitist wannabes are in for a real treat soon enough. They can't keep us out of that tower forever."

Alaric pretended to nod slowly, as if he were considering something, then replied, "You know… I might be able to get you in there."

"I already got a plan." He growled, "They think I'm a monster. Pah! I'll show them the real monsters!"

"And who would they be?"

"We'll unleash our feral brethren on them; all those bigoted sons-of-bitches will get torn apart." The ghoul snarled. "Trouble is getting past the damn subway access door."

Kuril had to fight back a smirk as he mentioned the very same door Gustavo did and patiently waited for the Ghoul to finish his rant.

"You see, there's some kind of escape door that leads from the Tenpenny basement to the subway tunnels. There must be some way to get that open."

Alaric nodded. "I think I can help you with that escape door."

"Now you're talking my language." Phillips grinned, clapping him on the shoulder. "Alright, here's the plan: I'll gather up a horde of ferals and wait for you by that escape door. You find a way to get it open and then we'll sit back and enjoy the show!"

He smiled, though not for the same reason the Ghoul did. "This is going to be fun!"

"Indeed. Remember, I'll be waiting for you to get that door open. Don't keep me waiting long, kid."

"I'll go tell them the job's done, they won't see it coming." He paused. "Hmm… they might want proof, have anything that might convince them?"

Roy rummaged around in a metal cabinet and held up a mask sewn together with what looked like feral ghoul skin. "Here, this ought to be enough." He handed it to Kuril, who promptly tossed it into his backpack.

"Now hurry up. Those bigots got big comeuppance waiting for them. I mean to give it to them soon."

...

"The ghouls trying to get in are all dead."

The security chief raised an eyebrow. "Really? You look pretty unscathed for someone who just fought a bunch of them."

"What can I say?" Alaric shrugged, putting on a cocky smirk. "I'm just that good."

Gustavo looked flatly at him. "Really?" He repeated, unimpressed. "Your proof?"

The vault dweller pulled out the ghoul flesh mask Phillips had given him. "This enough?"

Gustavo eyed the repulsive false visage with distaste and grunted in approval. "Hmph. Nice trophy. Didn't think you had it in you. Guess you proved me wrong. Good job. Knowing those Ghouls are gone takes a load off my mind. Thanks." He weighed the bag of caps he withdrew from his pocket. "You'll be wanting the reward now, won't you? I suppose you've earned it." He tossed it to Alaric who caught it with a single hand and transferred it to his pack. "There's your caps. You can keep the gun. Contract fulfilled, debt paid. This don't me were buddies alright? Now get going."

Kuril nodded his assent and quickly left the tower before circling around to enter the sub-level and pulled the now modified version of the fusion pulse charge Burke had so graciously given him from his knapsack. Attaching it to the generator and tuning the radio on the device to the same frequency his pip-boy was emitting, it would ensure the device wouldn't detonate on a signal from anyone but him. Once he was satisfied the charge could be remotely triggered at a safe distance, he made his way over to the grille where he saw a waiting pack of ferals.

Phillips ran up to the opposite side. "Hey kid, what's the hold up?"

"Nothing. It's good to go." He replied, gesturing to his pip-boy. "Once the generator goes down, the door is gonna open, so get ready."

Roy grunted an affirmative and took his position behind the ferals, flicking the safety off on his assault rifle.

Alaric gave a quiet chuckle as he left the basement and walked out the front gates, breaking into a sprint once he was out of sight. After he was a good distance away from the tower, he switched off the radio transmitter of his pip-boy, which in turn set off the fusion pulse charge.

He calculated it would take two for the chaos to settle down, giving him plenty of time to handle Lucy's delivery and retake the tower while Phillips was still weakened.

...

He shifted in his set of combat armor as he walked up the half-collapsed highway to Arefu. His amber eyes swept across the environment, ever vigilant for any signs of hostiles.

Just as he approached the concrete barrier leading into the town, a clink sounded and he heard the subtle rush of wind as a projectile flew through the air. Acting on pure reflex, he brought his assault rifle to bear and with a precision burst, he shot the grenade as it arced towards him. He turned away from the detonation in a smooth, almost practiced manner, shielding his face and eyes from the harsh flare of light. A moment later, the gun barrel was trained on the man who had thrown the explosive at him.

The man blinked in shock and raised his hands. "Hang on, you're not one of them! I nearly blasted you in two!"

The rifle remained pointed at him.

"Get over here before they spot you." The man urged, waving.

Alaric cautiously neared him, lowering the gun but keeping his finger on the trigger in case he needed to bring it to bear at a moment's notice.

The man eyed him suspiciously. "Now, what the hell are you doin' all the way out here?"

"I could ask you the same thing." He replied. "You throw grenades at all your guests?"

His assailant had enough sense to look sheepish at the reminder. "Sorry about that. I thought you were one of the Family. They're some lowlife gangers who've been giving us a hell of a lot of trouble lately. They're the reason for my itchy trigger finger." He stuck out a hand and they shook. "I'm Evan King, and this is Arefu, our little piece of the Capital Wasteland."

"Alaric Kuril. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise." King's eyes flickered back and forth between him and the road. "So what're you here for? We don't get many visitors except for traders, and you don't look like any of the regulars that usually come around."

"Well." He pulled the letter Lucy had given him from his backpack. "I have this letter for the West Family."

"The Wests? There in the house at the very back. Oh, if it's not too much trouble, would you mind checking on the other houses as well? I've been too busy keeping an eye on the road to see how they're holding up."

Alaric nodded. "Will do."

"Thanks. Speak with Davis West, Karen Schenzy, and Ken Ewers."

With that, he left King to guard the roadway and went approached the first abode.

Ken turned out to be an asshole, though Kuril could hardly blame him considering the utterly inane nature of his wife. It'd take the patience of a saint to deal with that. Karen was relatively normal, if a bit feisty. Hot too, if one could look past her less than stellar clothing. That left only the Wests.

He knocked on the door of their house and knocked once more when he received no reply. He was about to rap his knuckles against the metal again when the iron tang of blood touched his nose. He tested the door knob and found it was unlocked. With a pistol in one hand and knife in the other, he quietly pushed open the door and stalked forward.

His eyes adjusted quickly to the dim lighting and he swept them across the derelict interior, finding nothing before coming to a rest on the two corpses on the floor. He readied his pip-boy for voice to text recording as he examined the bodies of the Wests.

He knelt down, as close as he could without disturbing the corpses, and scanned the cadavers for any external injuries. Almost immediately his eyes fell upon the bite marks prominent upon the neck.

"Medical Analysis of West Corpses." He began. "The bodies of the Wests have bite marks on the neck area that go to the bone."

His amber eyes flickered over to the surprisingly clean bedsheets. "The lack of bloodstains on the sheets is strange, as any bite or wound of that depth should have caused massive bleeding."

"Hmm…" His gaze switched back to the wounds, noting the pattern with which they were made. "The bite marks on the neck appear to be from a human or humans with sharpened incisors or canines."

He used the combat knife to delicately scrape a thin film of residue from the skin of one of the corpses. Holding it towards the light, he closely inspected the powder-like substance. "The bodies seem to have a blackish powdery residue present not unlike that found in train yards."

Finally, he took note of 'THE FAMILY' painted on one of the walls in blood and left the West residence to report his findings to King.

"What did they tell you? Everyone ok?"

After divulging his discoveries and enduring an expletive-filled rant about the Family, Alaric was quick to distract him with a question.

"Hey, this may sound odd, but is there a trainyard outside of Arefu?"

King blinked, then nodded. "Well, yeah actually. Meresti Trainyard almost due east of here."

He smiled. "Good. Don't worry, Evan. I'll figure out what happened to the Wests."

"Thanks kid." The man's anxious expression eased up a bit. "You're all right."

...

Alaric raised his hands in peace as he approached the sandbag wall and the armed man behind it.

"Whoa, whoa. Slow down there." He heard the click of a safety trigger being flicked off. "This area's off limits to everyone but the Family. Where the hell do you think you're going?"

"To deliver a letter for Ian West from his sister."

The man grunted, fingering his submachine gun. "Really? Show me."

He slowly withdrew the letter and unfolded it to allow its contents to be read.

"Hrm." The guard grunted, apparently satisfied that the letter was genuine. "Yeah, Vance said we should be expecting someone soon." He motioned for Kuril to pass. "You can head on in, but I would speak to Vance first if I was you. You can find him on the mezzanine overlooking the common area."

"Will do." The vault dweller tilted his head in gratitude and moved swiftly to find his charge.

Vance was… an interesting character. Enigmatic and charming. He had a sort of aura about him that made a person want to listen to that soothing voice and agree with whatever it had to say. However, he seemed to understand the power he had been given and merely used it to draw together a sequestered cabal of kindred souls, protecting the world from them and vice versa.

But Kuril knew he could talk his way past even a man like Vance. All it would take were words that were carefully chosen and smoothly delivered.

After listening to the man's explanation of the Family and the principles that they followed, Alaric nodded respectfully. "I see. Now that I have a better understanding of the Family, may I speak to Ian?"

Vance gave a small smile. "I had always assumed if a human happened upon our home, it would be for the purpose of our extermination. But it appears my fears were ill-placed. It is a pleasant surprise to meet someone as amenable as yourself." He handed the vault dweller a holotape. "Very well. I will allow you to speak to Ian. Perhaps you can help him come to grips with his greatest enemy. Himself."

...

"Ian West?"

The teen looked up in alarm, then suspicion. "Huh? What do you want?"

"I've been looking for you."

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised." Ian sighed. "I'm sure Evan King is pretty pissed right about now. I bet he has the entire town out looking for me. He's worse than my parents."

Alaric only gave a quiet chuckled at that, recalling how the man had thrown a grenade at him in greeting. "He probably is." He made his way over the other side of the table and stood across from the boy, resting his hands on the flat metal surface. "Look, I know it's painful, but let's talk about what happened in Arefu."

Ian nodded forlornly. "It actually kinda makes me feel better to talk about it. Go ahead."

They settled into a routine where he asked and West answered, beginning with the boy's motivation for killing his own parents and ending with his belief in vampires.

"I see." The vault dweller leaned back. "Maybe I can help you."

The boy looked at him incredulously. "Help? How can you help? There's something inside me... something completely messed up!" He gestured furiously to himself. "I'm a mutant, a fucking freak! The only person I was ever able to talk to was my sister Lucy, and she's gone." Ian deflated, sinking into his chair. "No one gives a shit about me except Vance and the Family." He muttered. "Can't you understand that?"

Having weathered the tirade with nothing but a raised eyebrow, Alaric calmly withdrew the letter from his backpack and handed it to the boy. "Read that."

He watched with satisfaction as Ian's eyes grew wider and wider with each line he read until finally the teen looked up at him with disbelief.

"And before you ask," He stalled the boy's impending question with a finger. "Yes, it's real. I was asked to deliver it by Lucy herself."

Ian gave a shaky laugh and ran a hand down his face. "She... she really misses being home and she's asked about me in here a lot! I think I had it all wrong. I shouldn't have come here. I bet Lucy is feeling just as bad as me." He stood up. "Please, tell Vance I've made my decision. I'm going home to Arefu. I hope to see you there as well. I'm just gonna gather my stuff together and say my goodbyes then I'll head on back." He held his hand out nervously. "Thanks Mr…?"

The vault dweller smiled and shook the boy's hand. "Alaric Kuril. But you may call me Alaric." When Ian turned to retrieve his belongings, Kuril spoke again, "And don't say farewell to the Family just yet, I have an idea."

...

Vance tilted his head in greeting. "How went your talk with Ian?"

"Well. But before that, how would you like to relocate the Family?"

He raised an eyebrow. "To where?"

Alaric grinned. "Ever heard of Tenpenny Tower?"


End file.
